St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-16
THE CYCLONE SEASON.
It was Opened in Vigorous Style Yesterday
on the Ohio and West Virginia
Border.
Numerous Towns in the Buckeye State Re-
ceiVe the Biggest Kind of
Shaking Up.
No Fatalities as yet Reported In Tele-
grams From the stricken
Section.

The Property Loss Estimated at
$1,000, O,O0O--The General Cas-
ualty Record.
WHEELING, W. Va, April 15.-The
first genuine cyclone ever witnessed in this
immediate vicinity was experienced this
evening, and wrought devastation over a
section of country extending from st.
ClairSville, o., ten miles west, to a point as
lar east as this city. The storm was first
felt al ST. ClairSville at 3:15 p. M. 1t ap
peared to be travelling from the west and in
the shape of a funnel, resembling in
appearance dense black smoke. The cone
was downward and could be plainly traced
over its tracks by the destruction it left.
Houses were demolished, trees snapped off
like pipe stems, horses and cattle Frustrated
and carried bodily hundreds of yards by the
gale and the air was darkened by the
clouds OF flying debris. The storm showed
all the distinguishing characteristics of the
Western country. 1t first struck two new
brick houses belonging to Col. HattOn and
Judge COchrane, west or town. and frame
house belonging TO a man named Coleman.
All three were
COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED.
and the furniture and portions of the roof
and walls scattered along the track of the
cyclone. \ large brick mansion Oh the
corner of Marietta and Main streets was
cut off clean at the second floor and the
walls and roof scattered in fragments. The
First National bank block and large dry
goods Stole We're almost swept from the
site. only a portion of the lower walls be-
Ing left standing. Adjoining houses were
badly damaged by falling bricks and TIM
ber The National hotel and probably
forty other houses were more or less Seri-
ously damaged. No casualties to persons
are reported, the funnel shaped cloud hav-
ing beed seen approaching in time for the
families to take refuge in cellars. Benjamin
BarkburSt's fine Old brick mansion, south of
town, was totally demolished, likewise the
United Presbyterian church. a large brick
editice. The loss in St. ClairSvlle will
reach 5000, 900. The Western Union wires
and poles are all down. Horses hitched
in the street were blown about like chaff
and the vehicles demolished. A scant-
ling sailed through the air for a mile
and cut as clean a hole in the two walls of
a brick house as a cannon ball would have
done. Shingles were driven through
wertherboarding like arrows. James f.
Anderson, OF Bellare, had just hitched a
buggy in the street when some one shouted
q warning to him. He
CLUTCHED a TELEGRAPH POLE,
which snapped off just above his head.
Hon. l.. Danforth was sitting in his law
office when an entire chimney crashed
through the ceiling and floor leaving him
unharmed. AT BartoH's station. four miles
:saftF' new brick holise was leyeled to
the ground. at PascO. five mites Wtat ~,
this city. on the natioual road, the brick
2nnSe of A. <. Bailey was demolished.
Large tracts OF wood between here and ST.
Clairsville have not tree uninjured, while
most of them are fiat on the ground. The
town of Bridgeport, just across the river.
escaped, as did Wheeling, but funeral was
N the cemetesy on the hill at the top, and
.he carriages were blown over and carried
against trees, tOmbStoneS swapping OFF as
they blew over them. Martins Ferry, Oh
the opposite side of the river at the north
end of town, suffered even more severely
than st. ClairSville. Here broad valley
gave direction to the destroying gale, which
licked up forests and farm houses and scat
tered fences in its patch down the hollow,
widening out as it struck the little city and
scattering destruction everywhere, The
Elson glass works had one brick building
blown down all the hill. The brick resi-
dence of j. II. brennan, editor of the
News. was so badly used up that not one
brick was left on another. l.. u. BaileyS
fine concrete residence was also leveled to
the ground. Henry Helling's eight houses.
barns and sheds were all DESTROYED. In the
town proper - to 100 houses We're more or
less damaged, and the loss will reach Sl65,-
600. Walnut grade. a fine park, has but
few OF the 800 lofty trees standing.
THE CITY CEMETERY,
adjoining, was similarly unfortunate. The
stove foundry was partially demolished.
James Reilly's house and saloon was blown
down and Mrs. Reilly was pulled. uncon-
.scous, from the ruins. and may die. Here
the storm struck the town at p. m. with
out warning, and it is wonderful that more
injury to persons was not done. Besides
Mrs. Reilly the only casualties reported are
James Reilly, her husband, a saloonkeeper,
kboth legs broken: Mrs. Wilhelm, collar
ebOne broken, and Mark Davis, of the Mar
tins Ferry stove works. probably fatally
injured. 4 German lady, whose name
could not be learned, was dangerously III
.jured. When the storm struck the river
the water shot up in perpendicular wave
about thirty feet and then fell back in
;frothy. seething foam and simultaneously
a shower of fence boards, shingles, posts
and timber. with some large sections of
houses fell in a sheet on the tm bulent
waters. The river for miles up stream is
strewn with wreckages. The Fairview
school house, one mile west was totally
wrecked. ana Miss White, the teacher,
badly hurt Several families are rendered
homeless. The Lafayette rink was en-
gagged by the city authorities as temporary
shelter for the homeless, and a meeting of
citizens Is called for l p. III. tomorrow to
devise measures of relief 1t is safe to say
the aggregate loss will exceed 81, 900, 600.
AT wELLsVILLE.
WELLSvILIE, o., April 15.-One of the
most terrific storms that ever visited this
section passed over this part OF the country
at 3 o'clock this afternoon doing immense
damage. The tornado crossed the Cleve-
land Il Pittsburg railroad at Summittville.
and was accompanied by a huge water
spout. which burst just on the outskirts of
the city, destroying fences and FARMS tear
ing up trees and prostrating telegraph poles
and wires. Reports of the damage done
are meagre, owing TO the wires being
down. No fatalities so far are reported.
Newfoundland Gale.
ST. JOINS, n. f., April ia terrific
gale ragged along the west coast of this
island all Tuesday and Wednesday, causing
serious loss of life and great destruction~ of
property. Near Rose Blanche, two large
skitfs went down at their mooringS and five
men were drowned. One other ran ashore